Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Like any good Southeast Asian capital, Phnom Penh offers superb dining, racy nightlife, and plenty of attractions for the visitor – including the Royal Palace, National Museum, Toul Sleng, and a host of ancient temples and picturesque natural spots easily reachable as daytrips. Yet, there is something that sets Phnom Penh apart from its counterparts in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

 

Phnom Penh doesn’t overwhelm the visitor like the steamy metropolises of skyscrapers, traffic jams, and pollution in neighbouring countries. It welcomes you with its small number of major arteries, its quiet side streets laid out in a numbered grid, and its many small parks, monuments, and easy-going locals who congregate to play badminton, fly kites, or sit on the grass with a cob of corn or sour mango from a roadside vendor.

This, however, is a capital city on the rise. Today, over 80% of its streets are paved, and the violent crime for which it is notorious has been greatly curbed, and the lovely riverside area welcomes more tourists every year to its trendy new bars, hotels, and restaurants. But it’s still a charmingly old-fashioned city with classic colonial architecture, gold and white temples everywhere you turn, and most attractive for some, perversely, crumbling old 1950’s tenement blocks that strike the visitor with stately decay, sometimes sandwiched around even older French built buildings of a colonial vintage.

 

Phnom Penh represents a fusion of all that is old and new in Cambodia. Every year another shopping mall opens; the first international fast food franchise arrived recently; and gas-guzzling SUVs choke the streets. But the cinemas show only local films; the people still do their shopping in local markets; and cyclo drivers still glide down the streets just like they did decades ago. It’s this combination of the old and the new, the modern and the traditional, all wrapped up in a city that is too small to be a proper metropolis and too big to be a small town that makes Phnom Penh so captivating.

History Back to Top

In the fifteenth century, Cambodia’s traditional capital at Angkor was under constant threat from the growing might of neighbouring Siam. The Khmers were forced to pick up and move south, first to Longvek, later to Udong, and finally to Phnom Penh.

 

This location better allowed Cambodia to take advantage of the country’s vast watercourses. Located at the confluence of three rivers, ships could sail southeast from Phnom Penh on either the Mekong or Bassac to Vietnam and the South China Sea, or north on the Mekong to Laos and China, or northwest on the Tonle Sap (the river) to the Tonle Sap (the lake) and the provinces bordering Thailand.

 

This outstanding location allowed Phnom Penh to flourish for some time as a major trading hub, but the threat from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam never abated. It was to counter this threat, especially from the Vietnamese, that another foreign power, France, was welcomed into the Kingdom.

 

Fearing Vietnamese aggression, King Norodom signed a treaty of protectorate with France in the 1860s. This granted Cambodia some measure of protection from its neighbours, but it eventually led to Cambodia becoming a colony in 1884. For the next eighty years, the French effectively ruled over the country. Most agree that it left the Khmers with a meagre legacy.

 

When the Japanese occupied Cambodia during W.W.II, the French left. At the war’s end, Cambodia became an autonomous state under French rule. In 1953, Cambodia finally gained independence from the French, guided by the wily King Sihanouk, who had been handpicked for the throne as a young man by French officials eager to have a co-operative monarch.

 

Independence marked the start of a short-lived Golden Age for Phnom Penh. As its neighbours began to stir with revolution, Cambodia was peaceful and prosperous. But at the start of the Vietnam War, King Sihanouk, who had dominated politics in the country for almost two decades, alienated both the left and right with repressive policies. He was ousted by General Lon Nol and went into exile in Beijing, China.

 

The Vietnam War again brought turmoil to Cambodia. Although the country was officially neutral, the Americans secretly bombed the country’s border regions in a misguided attempt to get at North Vietnamese fighters. The anguish of villagers affected by the bombing, along with the belief that Lon Nol’s government was rife with corruption, fuelled disaffection among the peasantry. The Khmer Rouge movement was born, and fighting spread across the country.

 

As more and more of the country fell to the Khmer Rouge and their North Vietnamese allies, Phnom Penh remained peaceful. It was a peace mixed with hope for the war’s end and fear of the fierce communists. The heady times before Phnom Penh’s fall have been captured well by some of the journalists and photographers who were here at the time. Two outstanding examples are Jon Swain’s River of Time and Francois Bizot’s The Gate.

 

The capital finally fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17th, 1975. Almost no one had foreseen what would happen next. The Khmer Rouge warned the city’s denizens of an impending American airstrike and forced them to flee into the countryside. This was the beginning of a radical social experiment to turn Cambodia into an agrarian society by banishing all the city’s residents.

 

These city people, the “New People” as they were called, were those who had never lived off the land. They were seen as enemies of the new regime, and they were singled out for the most brutal treatment over the next four years. The many anguished memoirs written by survivors of the Khmer Rouge such as Stay Alive My Son generally reflect the experiences of these New People.

 

While Phnom Penh was essentially a ghost town for the four years of Khmer Rouge rule, not all activity in the capital came to an end. One small school in central Phnom Penh became the county’s most infamous prison, Toul Sleng, codenamed S-21. It was here that thousands of Khmers faced torture to extract confessions before being sent to the killing fields at Chhoung Ek for execution.

 

The Khmer Rouge were finally driven from power at the start of 1979 by the Vietnamese. This was precipitated by a number of Khmer Rouge border raids on Vietnam. The Vietnamese installed a new government headed by Khmer Rouge members who had previously defected to Vietnam including then Foreign Minister and current Prime Minister Hun Sen.

 

The Vietnamese ran the country for the next decade. They finally pulled out under international pressure in 1989. Overseas powers again took control of Cambodia, and with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991, the job of rebuilding the country and organising elections was given to the United Nations Transitional Administration (UNTAC).

 

The country’s first elections took place in 1993. The two main parties vying for power in this election were Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the royalist National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Co-operative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), which had been formed in 1982 by the exiled King Sihanouk and was headed by his son Prince Ranariddh.

 

The winner of this election by a narrow margin was FUNCINPEC, but Hun Sen refused to relinquish power. The king had returned from exile, and he stepped in to broker a deal between the two sides. They would share power, and there would be a First and a Second Prime Minister. Yet, all this agreement did was to delay the inevitable showdown.

 

Again, the Khmer Rouge came into play. While they had lost the country to the Vietnamese, they had managed to hold onto border regions such as Pailin and Anlong Veng with support from Thailand and China. Now that Hun Sen and Prince Ranariddh were locked in a contest of wills, the Khmer Rouge suddenly became very important again. The Khmer Rouge in Pailin, led by Ieng Sary, cut amnesty for surrender deals for their territories. Those in the north entertained overtures from FUNCINPEC.

 

Rumours of a coup d’etat swirled in the capital. Boats carrying arms destined for supporters of Prince Ranariddh were stopped by Hun Sen’s gunships en route to Sihanoukville. Fearing that the remaining Khmer Rouge in the north could be used as a counter to CPP power if allowed to ally themselves with Prince Ranariddh, forces loyal to Hun Sen led a bloody coup d’etat in July 1997.

 

The prince fled the country. So too did Sam Rainsy, a former FUNCINPEC member kicked out of the party in 1995 for criticising the government, who had started a his own political party. Scores of opposition lawmakers were murdered in the struggle.
Cambodia’s next elections were held in 1998. Both leaders of the opposition parties returned to enter the fray, but Hun Sen finally won control of the country. Yet, the fairness of these elections was questioned by many people, and so this was only the beginning of a messy political saga that continues to this day.

Things to do and See Back to Top

 

Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda

The Royal Palace is one of the best preserved buildings in Cambodia, several beautiful structures housed in their own grounds near the river front.

The Royal Palace complex houses not only the Palace, but also; the Victory Gate, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, the Throne Room, The Iron House of Napoleon the III, the Preah Tineang Phochani Banqueting Hall, a library,  various stupas and statures, a large modal of Angkor Wat and of course, The Silver Pagoda.

 

The Silver Pagoda, was constructed in 1962 to replace previous wooden pagoda on that site constructed in 1902. Local Khmers refer to the building not as the silver pagoda, but as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, due to the pagoda being home to a huge green baccarat crystal statue of Buddha. Whereas, the name The Silver Pagoda comes from the fact that the floor of this pagoda is covered in 5,329 solid silver floor tiles which are 20cm square and weigh over a kilogram each. The pagoda also houses an extensive collection of other Buddha statures made of gold, silver, bronze, marble or stone, relics, jewellery, gifts to the Royal Family from overseas dignitaries and objet d’art.

 

Looking back behind a Burmese marble Buddha you will also see the litter used to carry the King on Coronation Day, most recently used in 2004 on the ascension to the throne of King Sihamoni, the Royal Litter is carried by 12 men and its gold parts are said to weigh 23kg.

 

The Royal Palace is a working complex, used by the current King as his primary residence; therefore the living quarters are closed to the public. Nevertheless, amongst many other highlights you will find an enormous mural enclosing the compound and depicting the story of the Ramayana. If you want to follow the story from beginning to end then the story begins just south of the East Gate.

 

National Museum

 

Just up from the Royal Palace is the Cambodian National Museum, this attractive terracotta building, of traditional Khmer design, was in fact built by the French Administration in 1917, although it was 3 years before it was officially dedicated in 1920.

 

This small museum houses an impressive collection of Khmer artefacts and sculpture; most notably a 6th Century, 8 armed statue of Vishnu; a 9th Century statue of Shiva and a 12th Century statue of former Angkorian King Jayavarman the VII. As well as housing displays of Pottery and Bronze Coins from Pre-Angkorian periods of Funan and Chenla, covering the 4th to 9th Centuries. There is also a large collection of post-Angkorian Buddha’s which were salvaged from Angkor Wat during the civil war. The central courtyard of the museum is a well tended garden providing a pleasant area to sit and reflect on the art you are viewing.

The Museum is open from 08:00 to 17:30, breaking for lunch from 11:30 to 14:00. It is also closed on public holidays. The entrance fee is US$2 per person.

 

Independence Monument

 

Situated at the intersection of Sihanouk Boulevard and Norodom Boulevard is the monument commemorating Cambodian independence from French colonial rule in 1953. Designed by the eminent Khmer architect, Van Molyvann, at the request of King Sihanouk Norodom, it was completed in 1958. It has 5 levels, each ornamented with Nagas – a multi-headed serpent of Khmer mythology. The flames of independence burn in the centre every year on Independence Day, the 9th of November.

Other examples of Van Molyvann’s designs are the Olympic Stadium and Chatomuk Hall.

Wat Phnom

Intersection of Street 96 and Norodom Blvd.

Admission: $1

 

Although it stands only 27 metres high, this pretty and tree covered hill marks the founding place of the city. The small hill is topped with an active Wat, although the first pagoda on this site was reputed to have been erected in 1373 by Lady Penh, thereby giving the city its name as ‘phnom’ means ‘hill.’

Lady Yeah Penh, according to legend, is said to have discovered four Buddha statues inside a floating Koki tree she had fished out of the river and built the original Wat on this site.

The current Wat was most recently built in 1926, having previously been rebuilt on three different occasions over the centuries. Wat Phnom is still a busy place of prayer for local Khmers who often come here to wish for luck in their business lives or even school tests. After their wishes have been granted Khmers will return and make an offering to the spirits. After climbing to the top you’ll often see much jasmine left by the faithful in gratitude for answered prayers.

 

The stupa on top of the hill also contains the ashes of King Ponhea Yat (reigned 1405-67) who moved the Khmer capital from Angkor to Phnom Penh in 1422. Near the stupa and in a pavilion, you’ll also see a statue of the chubby and happy Lady Yeah Penh.

You’ll find the main entrance (via an eastern staircase) guarded by statues of lions and the mythical serpents known as nagas.

 

S21 and The Killing Fields

 

08:00 to 11:30 and 14:00 to 17:30. French and English speaking guides available.

In 1975

 

When the Vietnamese Army pushed the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh on 8th January 1979 they found a set of buildings that in pre 1975 days had been used as a high school.

 

The classrooms now contained whips, shackles, handcuffs, lengths of chain and other grisly instruments of torture. They also found corpses.

It was quickly discovered that this building had been an important Khmer Rouge facility; a vicious prison camp known as S-21 from which up to 17,000 men, women and children had been sent and from which seven survived to tell their stories. Inmates were often tortured for months in order to force meaningless ‘confessions’ to imaginary crimes. They were then sent to the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek, outside Phnom Penh.

 

In 1979, when the prison was liberated, only 7 prisoners were found alive.

The evidence on display is horrific and contrasts strongly with the buildings quiet and sun soaked surroundings not far from the busy Monivong Boulevard.

The building now serves as a museum and a solemn reminder of, those days. Inside you will find evidence and implements of torture and mounted images; mugshots of those to be killed together with paintings of torture witnessed by the artist Vann Nath, one of the very few inmates to have survived. It’s a disconcerting place and the blood stained classrooms contain torture equipment, photographs, document and paintings.

 

A documentary is shown twice daily at 10:00 and 15:00.

 

Further information on the crimes and atrocities of the Khmer Rouge can be found on the website of the Cambodian Documentation Centre –  www.dccam.org

 

Russian Market

 

P’Sar Tool Tum Pong (The Russian Market) Corner Street 440 and Street 163

 

Although much better known as ‘the Russian Market’ (as this was where the Russian advisors shopped during the 1980’s) it would be better to ask a moto taxi driver to take you Psah Tuol Tom Pong. Getting there from central Phnom Penh should only cost 2000 riel for two people sharing a bike and its better to agree this price in advance and therefore avoid being asked for a dollar when you get there.

 

While popular with expatriates and younger Khmers for its wide selection of pirate DVD’s ($2), CD’s ($1) and computer games, not too mentions its large selection of ‘brand name’ –  made by Phnom Penh’s garment factories and destined for the Western markets – clothing,  it is also a common destination for tourists and visitors to Cambodia in search of its wealth of souvenirs such as, jewellery, silks, silverware, wood or stone carvings, gem stones, objects d’art and old Indochinese notes and coins. Any shopping spree in Phnom Penh would be incomplete without a visit to this market.

 

Real and fake antique stalls abound and travellers can get bargains on carvings and ornate little boxes, jewellery cases, silverware and pottery but be prepared to bargain hard and with a smile. It’s a good trick to buy you’re a few items from one stall, if you can as the stall holder will often give bigger discounts.

Food and drink stalls are located in the middle of the market, where a refreshing iced coffee could be just the solution to the hot and busy atmosphere of the place.

 

P’Sar Thmey

 

The British gave the Burmese a central market in Rangoon that can only be described as an architecturally undistinguished converted tramshed but the French to their lasting honour gave Phnom Penh an enormous mustard coloured art deco triumph; a stunning rotunda that has genuine authority and masterfully uses its huge central area to dazzlingly display light and space.

 

Prior to 1935 this area, known as Boeung Decho, was simply a swamp that soaked up surplus rain during the wet season; Phnom Penh’s ‘central market’ then being the open air shanty town arrangement on Street 104, still in existence and now known as Psah Chas which translated means ‘old market.’

Between 1935 and 1937 the swamp was drained, dry land clawed back and the cities most recognisable landmark and architectural achievement was completed and christened ‘Psah Thmei’: Khmer for ‘new market.’

 

Although, as mentioned, the name means New Market in Khmer, the most usual translation is Central Market. It opened in 1937 after taking two years to build and stands on the site of a former inner city lake. Its distinctive art deco design is still a stunning sight, even in its current, slightly dilapidated, condition. It stands as a city landmark, in a city where a lot of landmarks were simply destroyed. Designed by a French architect the high yellow dome is entered through any of four ‘arms’ that stretch out to the points of the compass. Inside you will find everything from fruits and vegetables, to designer clothes, watches and sunglasses, to still wriggling fresh fish. The stall owners in here are used to the tourist trade and set their prices high and haggle hard. On the outside of the main market are just as many stalls selling guidebooks, maps, postcards, tee-shirts and other souvenirs for travellers; as well as some impressive flower and plant stalls to which the locals flock during times of festival and celebration – of which Cambodia plenty.

 

The best aerial view of P’Sar Thmey is from the rooftop of the nearby P’Sar Sorya. A multi-story, modern, shopping mall.

Psah Chas

Street 108

 

Psah Chas was the original downtown market for Khmers before the French built Psah Thmei.

It’s a dirty and run down place catering very much to and for local Khmers. You’ll find household goods here together with lots of food vendors and at night the vendors set up stall by candlelight and sell off what’s left of the fish and meat in the street outside. Pretty it isn’t, but a wander around Psah Chas will give you a good insight into Khmer life. All the sights and smells are here and this rustic street market launches an assault on all the senses.

 

Soriya Mall

 

Cambodia’s only shopping mall, air-conditioned throughout. Although it is much smaller than many of its western counterparts, a lot of the locals see it as something of an attraction. It also contains the only working escalators in Cambodia, much to the confusion of many first time visitors. On Khmer holidays local hip hop musicians are usually found playing very noisy but very popular free gigs in or around the mall.

 

Inside, everything from the week’s groceries to new computers to cosmetics and jewellery to pirate DVD’s to the latest clothing fashions can be found. The view from the rooftop is also one of the best of the city you can find, especially the aerial view of the art deco P’Sar Thmey. Also, atop the roof can be found a roller-blading hall and a modern cinema playing Khmer movies.

 

Credit Cards accepted in some of the larger stores.

 

Boat Rentals –

 

Renting a boat for a cruise on one of Phnom Penh’s three major rivers is one of the most pleasant ways to spend an afternoon or evening in the capital.

 

Many boat operators set up on the north end of the riverside. Visitors will see there the blue and white handpainted signs advertising their services right on the promenade.

 

The cost of renting is negotiable depending on the size of the boat. There are a few set cruises, such as the Chenla Floating Bar and Restaurant, which does a ninety-minute cruise with dinner included for eight dollars per head.
Renting your own boat gives you the freedom to plan your own itinerary and stay out for as long as you wish. Good daytime boat trips include the silk-weaving island of Koh Dach and the riverside resort of Kien Svay. Watching the sunset from the water with a few cold drinks is another great way to use a boat.

 

Killing Fields (Chhoung Ek) Back to Top

 

The Killing Fields are one of Phnom Penh’s most famous tourist attractions. The brutal history of the Khmer Rouge is still very much a fascination for foreign visitors, though there is really very little to see at Chhoung Ek.

 

Originally an orchard and Chinese cemetery, Choeng Ek during the Khmer rouge years was used as a killing and burial area for those 17,000 individuals previously incarcerated and tortured at Tuol Sleng Prison (S-21) in Phnom Penh.

The number of prisoners herded into trucks and ferried over to Choeng Ek varied on a daily basis from a few dozen to over three hundred. Once there, the prisoners were led to small pits, ordered to kneel down and beaten over their heads with an ox cart handle.

 

It is important to remember that there were killing fields all over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. This is only one of them, but it does represent one of the worst. There are more than one hundred twenty mass graves at Chhoung Ek, and roughly twenty thousand bound and blindfolded victims were murdered here with a blow to the back of the head in order to conserve ammunition.

To get there, take Monireth Blvd. eight kilometres past the bridge on the edge of town and watch for the signs marking the dirt track leading to the Killing Fields.

Olympic Stadium Back to Top

 

Built for the 1966 Asian Games, the Olympic Stadium sits at the intersection of Sihanouk Blvd. and Monireth Blvd.

 

Back in those days, sports flourished in Cambodia, and the Cambodian football team won a silver medal in those games.

 

Not much goes on at the Olympic Stadium these days, but that is just as well for visitors who wish to use its facilities. The stadium is open to the public, and visitors can just stroll inside the grounds to watch the informal football matches between local teenagers or run a few laps of the track.
The Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving platforms, and tennis courts are also open to the public. All are reasonably priced. On the weekends, hundreds of locals gather on top of the stands for one mass aerobics workout. It’s quite a sight, and you can join in if you want for around 1000 riel.

The Lake Area Back to Top

 

The area often known simply as The Lake, or Boeng Kak Lake (redundantly, it seems, as “boeng” means “lake” in Khmer), is Phnom Penh’s backpacker ghetto. It consists of a single narrow street, only paved at the end of 2006, connected to a myriad of tiny alleyways.

 

This is very much a local community, as local families live down all these little alleyways, including many Vietnamese. Yet, the main drag is also packed with backpacker joints, mostly restaurants, bars, dirt-cheap guesthouses, moneychangers, CD shops, and travel agents.

 

For many people, it is a grungy area with little appeal, well known as a daytime hangout for prostitutes, infested with drug dealers, and home to some of Phnom Penh’s most pathetic long-term down-and-out freaks, junkies, and losers. Yet, the Western food is cheap, and there’s nowhere cheaper to go for a drink – many places offer free beer with any meal, and cocktails go for as little as a dollar fifty.
The actual lake is notoriously poisoned by raw sewage, pharmaceutical waste from the nearby Calmette Hospital, and the rotting corpses of junkies who have overdosed and of down-and-outs who have topped themselves. Yet, it’s not all that bad – there are few nicer places to watch a sunset than one of the wooden guesthouses built right over the water.

Temple Hunting Back to Top

 

Wat Ounalom
Sothearos Boulevard, by the corner of Street 154.

 

The original Wat on this site dated back to 1443, unfortunately it has been built, rebuilt, torn by war and renovated a lot since then – especially during the Khmer Rouge years. Much restoration has been done since then, as this is the traditional pagoda for the Khmer Buddhist Patriarch. The rear most stupa is said to house a Buddha relic, a hair from one of his eyebrows – the left one I believe.

 

Wat Langka
Location St 51 (Pasteur) near Independence Monument.

 

This vibrant place of worship was one of the city’s five original temples and was one of the first to be restored after the removal of the Khmer Rouge regime. It’s a colourful place and is now very busy with monks and worshippers. Stupas have been rebuilt and more have been added. It’s important to note however that Wat Langka is one the city’s most popular venues for funerals and cremations and travellers should be sensitive if they visit and find a funeral going on. Wat Langka is so called because it was originally a meeting place for Kmher and Sri Lankan monks.

 

Most people get their fill of temples in Siem Reap and come to Phnom Penh en route to the beach in order to enjoy the nightlife and take in the local markets, Khmer Rough history, and a few other points of interest.

Those with an unquenchable thirst for temples can find a few within easy reach of the capital. The best known ruins are those of Ta Prohm, Prasat Neang Khmao, and Phnom Chisor, all conveniently located just off National Route #2 (the road to Takeo).

Neighbouring provinces such as Kompong Thom (Prasat Sambour Prek Kuk, Prasat Kuha Nokor, Prasat Preah Theat, Phum Prasat), Kompong Chhnang (Prasat Proh, Prasat Srey, Phnom Prasat), Kompong Cham (Wat Nokor, Han Chey, Tuk Chaa, Preah Nokor), and Takeo (Phnom Da, Angkor Borey, Phnom Bayang) all provide lots more temples that can be reached either as long daytrips or as part of overnight excursions.
Of course, many minor ruins, overgrown stumps of temples covered in moss, dot the countryside – and for the avid temple hunter, some local advice (or khmer440 advice) can turn up plenty of unexpected discoveries that are more rewarding than following the crowds to those temples that make the maps and guidebooks.

Drinking and dining highlights Back to Top

 

1) Drinking

a) Pubs

 

Phnom Penh is packed with pubs, and everyone has his or her own favourite.

The Jungle Bar, right on the river, is a friendly place with excellent food, friendly staff, and one of the best collections of music to be found anywhere in Phnom Penh.

Right next door is the long running Riverside Bar and Bistro, serving fine German and international cuisine in a classy setting. A live band plays in the back most weekends.

Just off the riverside, the Red Fox is a popular expat watering hole. The thrice weekly poker games always draw a crowd, and the rooms upstairs are great value.

The town’s best Irish pub is also located just off the riverside. Rory’s Pub serves up mean breakfasts, and the friendly owner is always good company.

The Pontoon Lounge is unique in hosting a pretty even mix of locals and Khmers. It’s also got a unique location on a boat right on the river. It’s usually heaving on weekends.

 

b) Hostess Bars

 

For female company, many of the town’s hostess bars are clustered on Rue Pasteur (St. 51). The premier hostess bar is Shanghai Bar with close to fifty friendly staff and an eclectic mix of music. The monthly barbecues are not to be missed. The Sunday roast is one of the best in town. And the recently revamped menu, with delivery available, is the best in the area.

Most other bars on the street are identical hole-in-the-wall places staffed by a few hostesses. They tend to change hands and names every year. The exception is Chili Bar opened by a Shanghai veteran with a nice upstairs patio and dining area, pool tables, and monthly barbecue.

Two other popular bar areas are Street 104 and Street 108, both just off the riverside. The best on Street 104 are OneZeroFour, Zanzibar, and Rose Bar. A more low-key option is Colonial Bar. On Street 108, you can take your pick of Barbados, Golden Vine, Voodoo Lounge, and Zapata. All are standard air-conditioned hostess bars playing the same interminable mix of hip-hop music where you will be forced to prove your manhood at Connect Four.

Sugar Shack on Sotheros has aimed upmarket and provides one of Phnom Penh’s finest wine and spirit collections. The lush décor and extensive collection of fine champagnes, whiskeys and wines make the Sugar Shack the polar opposite of the standard hostess bar. It’s also female expat/tourist friendly.

 

c) Late Night Bars

 

The Walkabout Hotel on Rue Pasteur (St. 51) is the town’s only real twenty-four hour bar. It’s got plenty of pool tables, hearty pub grub, and local girls who love to shoot a game with unaccompanied gentlemen.

Howie’s Bar also on Rue Pasteur is a favourite expat hangout that doesn’t really get going until most of the other bars in the area have closed for the night.

 

d) Nightclubs

 

One thing the city lacks is a really good selection of nightclubs. There are several big Khmer places, such as The Rock, Spark, and U2, but these seldom attract many foreigners. Others in the same class include Casa, Manhattan, and Golden Boss. Taking a big step down in price, the Chaktomuk and Tonle Sap nightclubs on the top of the riverside are a good place to watch locals doing their traditional line-dancing.

The best three for foreigners are the Riverhouse Lounge, located on Sisowath Quay, which picks up at the weekends with a good mix of locals and Khmers, the Heart of Darkness, notorious for its corrupt security, frequent fistfights, and recent fatal dancefloor shooting, and Martini, with a small dark dancefloor packed with Vietnamese talent.

 

e) Other

 

Two other bars deserve mention for being long-running legends of Phnom Penh’s nightlife. Sharky Bar has some of the best Tex Mex food in town, several good pool tables, nightly drink specials, and plenty of female company.

The most recent of Martini’s many incarnations is just off St. 360 in the south end of the city. It may be out of the way, but it is unique, with a projection screen showing recent blockbusters, an excellent and inexpensive food court, a heaving disco, and open air seating area used by plenty of local ladies.

One more bar that should be mentioned is Maxine’s (often called Snowy’s). This is one of the most interesting bars you will see in Phnom Penh in terms of décor, and as it is the only bar across the Japanese Bridge on Chhroy Changvar Peninsula it the best place to watch the sun set with a cold drink in hand.

2) Dining

 

The main tourist areas are chock full of restaurants catering to foreigners, so it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

a) Mexican

 

For the best Mexican, try the Freebird on Street 240 with air-conditioning, free wireless Internet, and the best trained staff in town.

Three other candidates for best Mexican food are the Alley Cat Café, located down a tiny alley off Street 19, Sharky Bar on Street 130, and Cantina on the riverside.

 

b) Indian

 

The range of Indian restaurants is impressive, but many leave a lot to be desired. The pick of the bunch is certainly Sher-e-Punjabi on Street 130 with top-notch breads and curries at a modest price.

Three other favourites are Flavors of India (Street 63, south of Sihanouk Blvd.), Madras Café (Street 130), and the top-of-the-range Shiva Shakti (Sihanouk Blvd. near the Independence Monument).

For dirt cheap Indian, give the set lunch or dinner at Chi Cha on Street 110 a try. Other places include Himalaya, Mount Everest, Lumbini, and Maharaja.

 

c) Thai

 

There are also a number of good Thai restaurants around town. The pick of the bunch is Lemongrass on Street 130 near the riverside.

Fusion, just a few blocks down, and Chiang Mai, right on the river, are two other decent Thai restaurants.

For budget Thai food, try Tom Yam Kung on Street 278, the Golden Mile, or the nearby Boat Noodle Restaurant on Street 63 near to the Senate building.

 

d) Italian

 

There is one stretch of “happy pizza” restaurants on the riverside. The oldest is Happy Herbs, and right next door is the very good Pink Elephant. If it’s not happy pizza that you want, Anthony’s Pizza near Wat Phnom has good inexpensive pizza and Chez Dim in Martini is an expat favourite for delivery.

For Italian food in a fine dining setting, try La Volpaia across from the post office. Some people rave about the pasta and great wine collection at Luna d’Autunno while others say their pizza is like baked dough with leaves on top. Le Duo tucked away in Boeng Keng Kang is a little known Italian gem.

For the fast food experience, there is now an international pizza franchise with two locations in Phnom Penh, The Pizza Company. The outlet on the fourth floor of the Sorya Center is the bigger of the two, but service is often faster at the Street 105 branch outside of peak hours.

 

e) Cafes

 

For coffee, pastries, wraps, sandwiches, salads, quiche, and other delights, two of the best spots are Java Café near the Independence Monument and The Shop on Street 240, though some find their NGO staffer atmosphere stultifying.

The Deli, just off Rue Pasteur (St. 51), is a tasteful French run affair. El Mundo on the riverside is a pleasant place. And the Kiwi Bakery, also on the riverside, has great views and a nice breeze from its rooftop terrace.

There are a couple nice cafes on the ground floor of the recently opened shopping mall, the Paragon Center. An inexpensive café is the AsiaEuro Bakery near the corner of Sihanouk and Monivong Blvds.

 

f) Fast Food

 

Happily for some, the likes of McDonalds, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken have not yet reached the shores of little Kampuchea. The homegrown equivalents are Lucky Burger (with locations in Lucky Supermarket, on Monivong Blvd., and at other places), BB World (on Sihanouk Blvd. and in Sorya Center), and Lucky Sevens (at the bottom of the riverside and in the Sorya Center).

 

g) Other

 

There is no other restaurant in town like Pacharan. Spanish tapas and an extensive selection of wines. Every Sunday night there is a special on paella and sangria. Located just off the riverside.

In the heart of Boeng Keng Kang, Romdeng offers some of the finest royal Khmer cuisine in town and some of the profits go to help support an NGO for street kids. The nearby Khmer Kitchen also serves Khmer dishes in a more informal setting at reduced prices.

High class dining may be found at the likes of Malis (French and Khmer) and Topaz (French) on the south end of Norodom Blvd. One of the nicest little French restaurants with reasonably priced daily specials is La Marmite on Street 104.

For good German cuisine, stop by at The Tell, located just behind Hotel Le Royal near Wat Phnom, or the Riverside Bar and Bistro on Sisowath Quay.

There are also a number of Japanese and a couple Korean restaurants in town.

 

h) Budget

 

The only real place to find a concentration of restaurants serving cheap Western fare is at Boeng Kak. Try any of the guesthouses or the restaurants on the main drag.

Just off the riverside and next to Chi Cha, Sinan Restaurant is popular with backpackers and English teachers. Shepherd’s pie, chicken gratin, and hamburgers with fries all go for under two dollars.

Tucked away on a little street just west of Monivong Blvd. and north of Sihanouk Blvd., Asian Spice has attracted some custom with its cheap Singaporean and Western dishes.

A pick of the places to stay

 

 

Phnom Penh is chock-a-block with hotels and guesthouses at all price ranges. New ones seem to be sprouting up all the time, as the capital has been going through a construction boom in recent years, and many of these are top of the range.

Prices vary quite a bit depending on location. Most of the downright cheap accommodation is located at Boeng Kak, but there are many inexpensive local places scattered around town. These days most visitors looking for mid-range accommodation head for the riverside, and the top end places are around Wat Phnom, the riverside, and a few other places.

a) Boeng Kak (Lakeside)

 

The lake is the old backpacker ghetto of Phnom Penh. Despite years of rumours that it will be level for redevelopment, all the wooden shacks are still there right on the water. It’s hard to recommend one, as most of them are pretty much the same, but two of the most popular are Number Nine and Number Ten, next door to each other at the end of the main drag.

 

b) The Golden Mile (St. 278 and its environs)

 

In the heart of Phnom Penh’s NGO area, known as Boeng Keng Kang (BKK), Street 278 has a bustling little collection of bars, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, and art galleries.

The Red Orchid is a new arrival and offers some of the most attractively priced rooms in the area at only ten dollars per night with air-conditioning.

Most hotels nearby are mid-range in price and incorporate the word “gold” in their names. The Golden Gate and Goldiana Hotels are two examples. Amble down the short street and make inquiries.

 

c) Central Phnom Penh

 

There are a few good hotels right in the center of town. These are close to Psar Themei, the Sorya Center, and the naughty nightlife district centring on Rue Pasteur (St. 51).

The Walkabout Hotel (www.walkabouthotel.com) is right at the heart of Phnom Penh’s nightlife. It also has the town’s only real twenty-four hour bar, with plenty of pool tables and good pub grub, and goes for between ten and thirty dollars per night.

Just across the street is the newish Flamingos Hotel (www.flamingos.com.kh). With free Internet, spotlessly clean rooms, and all the amenities, this is a favourite for those who want a mid-range hotel (twenty to thirty dollars per night) at the doorstep of Phnom Penh’s nightlife.

The Billabong Hotel is another popular mid-range hotel with a pleasant garden setting and swimming pool. Nearby Monivong Blvd. is home to many mid-range hotels, including the Asia Hotel, World Star Hotel, New York Hotel, Big Luck Hotel, and Asia Plaza Hotel.

 

d) The Riverside (Sisowath Quay)

 

The riverside is home to Phnom Penh’s most popular mid-range hotels. With striking balcony views of the Tonle Sap, and doorstep access to some of the best restaurants and bars the city has to offer, its no wonder most visitors choose to stay on Sisowath Quay.

While most of the rooms on the river are mid-range, there are a few inexpensive guesthouses to choose from. One is the Red Fox. This popular pub, with thrice weekly poker games, has inexpensive rooms upstairs. Another place just off the river is the Bright Lotus Guesthouse.

Moving up a notch in price are the rooms rented out by some of the popular pubs on the river. These are generally in the twenty to forty dollar per night range, and they include all the basic amenities such as hot water and air-conditioning.

The pick of the lot are Rory’s Irish Pub (www.rorysirishbar.com) and the Hope and Anchor (www.hopeandanchor-cambodia.com). Others include the California2 and Woolly Rhino. The recently opened Paragon Hotel is also in this price range and gets good reviews.

In the fifty dollar and up price range, there are a couple good new hotels on the riverside. The elegantly decorated Red Hibiscus and Bougainvillier are both delightful boutique hotels.

 

e) Top of the Range

The best that Phnom Penh has to offer are scattered around the city. The recently opened Amanjaya, with rooms starting from one hundred-fifty dollars per night, has a prime location right in the center of the riverside area. The K West Restaurant located on the premises is one of the best in town.

The new Pavilion Hotel, a few blocks from the riverside on St. 19, is a new boutique hotel with swimming pool in a gorgeous old colonial building.

The area around Wat Phnom is home to several of the city’s top hotels including the Sunway Hotel and the classic colonial era Hotel Le Royal.

The bottom of the riverside, near Naga Casino, has the Cambodiana Hotel, built in Cambodian style to host foreign dignitaries decades ago, and the more modern Himawari Hotel.

The Phnom Penh Hotel is located at the top of Monivong Blvd, not far from Wat Phnom, and the Hotel Intercontinental is in the south end of the city not far from the Russian Market.

Shooting Ranges Back to Top
Back in the good ol’ days, the Cambodian army used to allow tourists to use its bases for target practice with a whole range of weapons. Recently, the government has made efforts to curb these shooting ranges and cast off Cambodia’s image as an outlaw country plagued by violent crime. There are still a number of shooting ranges on the outskirts of town, the most popular being just past the Kambol Go-Cart Track halfway to Kompong Speu, but they are nowhere near as cheap as they were in the past. Still, anyone who gets a rush from loud noises and destruction can pop off handguns and assault rifles for roughly a buck a round. There are also shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and rocket launchers. For the right price, you might even be able to ride the tank and fire the cannon.

Communications Back to Top

 

Phones

Making international phone calls from Cambodia is simple and inexpensive. Virtually all Internet shops will have Internet phones that allow you to place calls for just a few cents per minute. Sometimes the connection is poor, with a delay or static on the line, but overall the quality is tolerably good.

 

For local calls, there are almost no landlines, and therefore almost no phone booths or pre-paid card services, but calls are extremely easy to make at a myriad of roadside mobile phone stalls.

 

Take note of the dark glass boxes on the streets with numbers down their sides. Most often the numbers will correspond to phone networks, e.g. 012 / 092 (Mobitel), 011 (Camshin), 016 (Hello GSM), and so on.

 

Tell the vendor at the booth which of these numbers you wish to call and she will give you the phone with the corresponding SIM card. Most charge around 300 riel (eight cents) per minute.

 

If you plan on an extended stay and want to have a mobile phone, it might be convenient to get a Cambodian number. As long as your phone is not locked (as they often are in the West) all you have to do is pop in a SIM card and you’re ready to go.

 

Unfortunately, it can be very difficult for foreigners to get local numbers. The easiest way to get around this problem is to find a local friend (a motodop or taxi driver) and give him a few dollars to get you a SIM card in his name.

 

If your phone is lost or stolen, only the person who registered the number can get it back for you. So it’s best to get someone you can find again later to get you the SIM card in the first place.

 

The most popular network is Mobitel (012, 092). It is far from the best network, but seeing as most people use this one, it will save you extra charges on cross-network calls.

Most SIM cards cost around ten dollars. More memorable numbers (e.g. 012-334-334) are more expensive. Some locals will spend silly amounts of money for a neat number, but once a person programs it into his or her phone, chances are he or she will never look at it again anyway.

Transportation Back to Top

 

 

Getting around Phnom Penh is really very simple. There is one main type of public transportation: motodop. These Khmer men are instantly recognisable by their baseball caps and battered red Honda Daelim motorbikes.

 

Motodops can be a nuisance. They wait outside your bar or hotel. They call you every time you go out. Sometimes they even follow you down the street asking, “Where you go, sir? Sir, where you go?” Yet, many are nice enough old chaps.

During the day, fares range between 1000 riel for a short hop to 3000 riel to go right across town. Average trips cost about 1500 riel. Once you’ve got a feel for the pricing, just get on, give directions, and pay at the destination.

It’s unusual for there to be arguments over fares. When there is, just put the money in the driver’s hands and walk away. The one exception are the mafia-like drivers at Boeng Kak (and a few other tourist areas) where it’s best to walk to Monivong Blvd. and flag down a passing motodop.

 

For roughly twice the cost of a motodop, you can rent a tuk-tuk, a carriage pulled by a motorbike, which many people feel are safer than motodops. Tuk-tuks are also good value if you can pack three or four people into the back and split the fare. The trouble is that they are much harder to find than motodops.

 

If time isn’t an issue, some people enjoy the leisurely pace of a cyclo. These bicycle driven carriages are only feasible for short journeys (unless you want to watch a poor old guy peddle across town under the blazing equatorial sun) and go for as little as 500 riel for short hops.

The final option is to rent a car and driver. The standard Toyota Camry should set you back about twenty dollars per day. Again, this is good value if you’re travelling in a group, and you can stay dry in the monsoon season and blissfully air-conditioned in the hot season. Your hotel or guesthouse should be able to arrange a car for you on short notice.

Events

Lunar New Year: is celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese in late January or early February.

Khmer New Year: The celebrations bring the country to a standstill for three days in mid-April a fair amount of water and talcum powder gets thrown around at this time, so it is a lively but non-contemplative time to visit.

Chat Preah Nengkal: The Royal Ploughing Festival, takes place near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh in early May.

Bom Om Tuk: celebrating the end of the wet season in early November, it is the best time to visit Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Banks, ministries and embassies are closed during all public holidays and festivals..

 

Public Holidays:

January 1 – New Year’s Day

March 8 – International Women’s Day

April 13, 14 and 15 – Khmer New Year

May 1 – International Labour Day

June 1 – International Children’s Day

September 24 – Constitution Day

October 23 – Paris Peace Agreement

October 30 – King’s Birthday

November 9 – Independence Day

December 10 – UN Human Rights Day

 

Money and Banking Back to Top

 

Cambodia’s currency is the Riel. Riel notes come in 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 denominations, but the distinctive red 500 riel and 1000 riel notes are the most commonly used.

 

US dollars are as commonly used as the Cambodian riel and even Thai baht is acceptable in many places. Most hotels and many restaurants and shops set their prices in dollars. Small transactions are usually done in riel. Always carry some small riel for motorcycle taxis, snacks, beggars and other small purchases.

 

Money changers cluster around the markets. When accepting money, inspect the bills. Marred riel is acceptable tender, but the tiniest tear in a large US note renders it worthless.

 

A rough guide is US$1 = 4,000 Riel

 

Unlike just a couple of years ago Phnom Penh has many ATMs with international access and dispensing US dollars.

 

ANZ Bank ATMs accept Cirrus, Plus, Maestro, Visa and MasterCard.

 

Visa and JCB cards are the most widely accepted credit cards in Cambodia although many  places charge commission on credit card payment. ‘Instant’ cash transfers can be done at most banks via Western Union.

 

Popular banks conveniently situated include:

 

ANZ Royal Bank

#100, Sihanouk, Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-726900

#361-363, Sihanouk, Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-726900

#265, Sisowath Quay , Phnom Penh

 

Cambodia Asia Bank- Western Union

 

#439, Monivong (Head office), Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-722105

#252, Monivong, Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-722105

#349Eo, Sisowath Quay (near FCCC), Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-220381

#158Eo, Sihanouk, Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-224300

#246Eo, Monivong, Phnom Penh

Tel: 023-224280

Cambodian Commercial Bank (CCB)
Credit cards accepted plus Exchange booth open 7 days – Visa/JCB/MC

#130, Monivong Road, near the Central Market (Psah Thmei), Phnom Penh

Tel: (23) 426208

 

Day Trips Back to Top

 

 

1) Phnom Udong

 

One of the most popular daytrips from the capital is Phnom Udong. The site is not ancient, but it is attractive, and it has a historical connection. The capital was located nearby before being moved south to Phnom Penh centuries ago, and one of the country’s most famous rulers, King Monivong, who reigned from 1927 to 1941, rests here.

The hill is home to a collection of modern temples, shrines, and stupas. The views of the countryside from the top are picturesque. There are paved roads up the hill, and some tour companies (e.g. Capitol) take busses of backpackers there, but just getting around the area, which spans two hilltops joined by a ridge, requires quite a bit of stairclimbing. Keep that in mind if you’re not in good health.

To get there, take National Route #5 (the road to Battambang) for roughly forty kilometres. Watch for the big billboard on the right marking the turnoff. Some local busses can take you this far from Psar Themei (the Central Market) in the capital. Take this road for a couple more kilometres, either on your own or on the back of a motodop, and follow the signs to the top.

 

2) Kirirom National Park

 

Straddling the border of Kompong Speu and Koh Kong provinces, Kirirom is the most frequently visited of Cambodia’s seven national parks.

The air is cool and crisp in the park, as it stretches across the big hills of Phnom Damrei, or the Elephant Mountains, and pine trees from Japan flourish on the slopes, making it seem like you’re in a northern climate.

There’s much to do in the park. There are a number of waterfalls, chutes and rapids, and lakes. Various roads lead to different places, making the park a good spot for hiking or biking, and there are thatch huts next to most lakes and streams where you can relax for the day between swimming and picnicking.

Visitors to Kirirom National Park should make a short side-trip to the Chambok Waterfall. At the end of a well-marked trail from within the park, this waterfall is the tallest in the area, and during the monsoon season when it is gushing with water it is a breathtaking sight. There is a separate entrance fee for the park, and visitors should be reminded that it is an ecotourism site, so you must undertake a hike of several kilometres (or take an oxcart) to get there.

Getting to Kirirom can be problematic. There are no busses directly into the park. Visitors can take a bus bound for Sihanoukville and get off early. Then you will have to find a motodop to take you on the long ride through the hills into the park. It’s easier to rent a car (with or without a driver) or motorbike and make your own way.

The entrance fee for Kirirom is five dollars for foreigners. An additional entrance fee of three dollars is required for Chambok. Should you wish to spend the night in the park, the Kirirom Hillside Resort offers mid-range accommodation for around fifteen dollars per night.

 

3) Phnom Basset

 

The area known as Phnom Basset contains a curious mix of Angkorean replicas, ancient ruins, and modern Chinese temples.

The first major temple you will see is Wat Sovan Thom. The gates to this temple contain impressive elephant sculptures and a four-faced Angkorean head. The temples inside are built of reddish stone to resemble Angkor Wat and Banteay Srey.

The ancient temple is further down the road. There is another archway of rough stones and a paved road to the hilltop. The ancient temple sits next to a modern one. It is made of small bricks, indicating its pre-Angkorean origin, and out of its center grows a massive tree.

Finally, there is a Chinese temple further down the road dedicated to the deity Khun See Im, a white-skinned woman, with long black hair and a silk gown, who stands on an opened lotus flower. The area is dotted with strange statuary, and the views from the top of this hill are gorgeously scenic.

The rest of the area is covered with other hills and other temples. To get there, take National Route #5 (the road to Battambang) for roughly twelve kilometres and turn right under the ornate temple archway just past the giant Tela compound.

 

4) Other

There are many daytrip options around Phnom Penh. Those who want more information should search Khmer440 for more information regarding Phnom Thmao, Phnom Chisor, Koh Dach, Tonle Bati, Kien Svay, and other points of interest.